


Lead Me To The Light

by TrashRat



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Birdflash - Freeform, M rating is for later chapters, M/M, Wally comes back to life, Young Justice - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-14 22:39:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10545542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashRat/pseuds/TrashRat
Summary: ( I recently decided that I wanted to rewrite the fic I had written in 2014, so enjoy! )Wally West was dead... Or so everyone thought. After three years of searching, Wally is found unconscious in the desert, without a clue on how he ended up there. He and Dick have questions, and they may have to go search for answers on their own.





	1. Back in the Universe

* * *

    Wally knew something was wrong as soon as he regained consciousness. Something was definitely out of place, but the fiery haired speedster was too out of sorts to put his finger on it. There was light, but that was all Wally could register behind closed eyes. He was fairly certain that, even if it could help him to learn his whereabouts, he still wasn't keen on opening his eyes. He had an excruciating headache, most likely from dehydration, and his muscles screamed in protest as he tried to move just slightly. This made him even less eager to move or try to think more on the topic. He had drifted out of consciousness several times before he felt that it was worth opening his eyes, squinting in the harsh light and waiting for his eyes to cooperate and focus. When his vision was no longer blurred, he noticed that he was in his room. That was... Odd, if not almost impossible. The last thing he remembered had been trying to help Barry and Bart to stop the Reach Disruptor from destroying the Earth, and then... Nothing. Something about being where he was, back in his old room and with no memory of how he had returned there, was unsettling to the speedster.

     It took what felt like forever for Wally to sit up, his soreness, even more excruciating in that position. He had put so much effort into sitting up, however, that it would be even worse to give up and lie back down. He tried to stretch just a little, only managing to make himself even more aware of the burning sensation coursing through his body. He leaned up against the headboard of his bed, inhaling deeply through his nose and deciding to try and stay still for a while... Of course, it wouldn't be as difficult as usual. The moment Wally had closed his eyes, he was surprised by a soft knock at his bedroom door. Chapped lips parted, and he spoke softly.

      "Come in..." Wally looked over at the door, watching his mother as she walked over to his bedside with a tray of food and a glass of water. She placed it gently upon his lap before leaning over to kiss his forehead, running a careful hand through his short red locks.

     "I'm so glad you're okay, sweetheart... I don't know what I would've done i-if..." Her voice cracked slightly, and Wally felt a tug in his chest. He felt terrible to see his mother in such a state, but all he could do now is give her a nod as she watched him. When he finished eating, she stood slowly and took the tray. She kissed his forehead softly and left in silence, leaving his room empty once more. Wally's body ached and he found it far too difficult to keep his eyes open with the newfound stillness of the room.

 He didn't even remember losing consciousness as he blinked, opening his eyes again to a sudden darkness. Wally looked at his clock to find that a few hours had passed and he sighed, slowly getting up so that he could get to the bathroom. His legs felt like Jell-O, and his vision went white for a moment when he was fully on his feet. Managing to slowly make his way out of his room and to the bathroom to relieve himself, he saw his reflection in the mirror and was shocked at what he saw. He looked absolutely horrible. There were dark circles under his eyes, his skin ghostly pale, and his figure thin and weak. He wondered how long he'd been unconscious, and he wondered where they'd found him. If he'd gone somewhere or just popped up one day, barely alive... Shaking his head, Wally did what he came to there for and then slowly began heading to his room again. He stopped when he heard chatter downstairs, heading in that direction instead. As he got closer to the stairs, he could hear the distinct voices of his Uncle Barry and his mother.

    "--In the desert... We have no idea how he got there... But he doesn't seem to have any negative side effects from the... Well, the apparent vaporization of his entire body. I'm just glad he's alright." Wally froze at those words, gripping the banister tightly in one hand. Had he really been vaporized? No wonder everyone was so worried! He couldn't remember it happening at all, and that was what scared him. How could they have found him in the desert? They'd stopped that device in the arctic, how had he gotten that far away? Wally's head was already swimming with questions, theories, ways to make sense of what had happened... And that was when he blacked out, falling to the ground at the top of the stairs.

  A cold feeling enveloped the speedster as he looked up at the starry expanse of the arctic sky, taking in the blues and purples that swirled there. He let out a soft sigh, sitting in the snow. He heard the soft crunch of someone walking towards him and looked over just in time to see his best friend settling down beside him.

    "You're not going to be able to figure all this out on your own, Walls, you know that right?" Dick placed a gentle hand on Wally's shoulder. Wally looked back up at the sky and let out a huff of laughter.

   "It can never be easy, can it, man?" He looked back over, only to see that he was alone again. When he looked to the sky, he was horrified to see it had changed color to a deep red, the stars having vanished. A storm picked up, snow swirling around him as he tried to stand up, shoving him back to the ground. Wally struggled, terrified as he tried to escape the force of the wind, a scream tearing from his throat.

 "You can never escape the Light." Was the last thing Wally heard before everything went white.


	2. Out and About

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally needs a breather

“-lly… Wally!” The speedster heard a faint voice calling his name, but it felt like his ears were full of cotton. He opened bleary eyes, blinking slowly a few times in the harsh light of the room before his gaze focused on the person in question.  
“Wally, you’re up.” Dick Grayson gave a soft sigh of relief, running a hand back through his hair and leaning back in his chair. Wally didn’t respond right away, looking around and realizing he was in Mount Justice again. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, sitting up a little.  
“Yeah. I just uh…” His voice was hoarse, and his throat burned. Wally gave a loud cough, and Dick stood up to walk over to the infirmary sink. The dark haired boy grabbed a glass of water and brought it back to Wally, helping him drink it. Wally took a few sips before laying back down. He had questions, but he didn’t want to chance ripping up his throat. He looked at his friend, finding nothing but worry on his face. He felt guilty, even though what had happed was completely out of his control.

  
“Batman wanted to observe you, see if anything had happened with your powers… Since your healing factor isn’t kicking in.” Dick moved a little closer, scooting his chair quietly across the floor. Wally realized that it was true. He had been hurting for god knows how long, and it hadn’t seemed to have gotten any better. Had he lost his powers? He raised his hand over his face and waved it, and was rather confused at the average speed of the action. His confusion turned to worry and he did it again, more frantically that time. No change, no super speed.

“No… No no no-“ He rasped, sitting up and looking over at Dick with fear in his eyes.

“How could I- No, they can’t be gone!” Wally’s throat burned and his muscles had already begun to ache, but he stood regardless, his mind racing.

  
“Wally, you need to stay down. You’re gonna injure yourself-“ Dick attempted to pacify his friend, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Wally lurched away with watery eyes, a hand clutching the fabric of his shirt.

  
“They can’t be gone.” He barely managed to whisper. His speed was what made him special. His speed was what made him… Him. He was Kid Flash, and without his speed, he didn’t know what he’d do with himself.

  
“They can’t be.” He sunk to his knees, tears dripping down his cheeks and onto the floor. Dick gently helped his friend off the floor, guiding him back to the bed. Wally laid down, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky breath. He wiped at his face and curled up, hoping that it was all just a dream. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was Dick’s chair sliding against the floor and a door shutting.

It took a while for Wally to heal, and it would take even longer for him to cope with what had happened. The former speedster was used to pretending that he was alright, so he had no trouble forcing smiles and talking to his friends about things he couldn’t force himself to care about anymore. When Dinah tried to help him psychologically, he shut down and laughed through it. He didn’t want to accept the reality of what had happened. He didn’t want to think about how he had lost his powers and how he could never really help people or hang around his friends in the same way anymore. Wally didn’t want to think about how he was normal and boring again, and how there was no reason for anyone to like him anymore. There was no reason for Dick to want to be around him anymore.  
Wally began to look for the notes he had used to recreate Barry’s failed experiment, hoping that he could do it again. If he could do that, he’d get his powers back. His frantic searching was disturbed by his cellphone ringing. He grabbed it, answering, and pressing the phone to his ear.

  
“Hey Walls.” It was Dick, and Wally inhaled shakily before answering his friend.

  
“Hey Dick. What’s up?” He forced a more cheerful tone, continuing his search for the papers he so desperately needed.

  
“You wanna come sleep over tonight?” Wally paused, sitting back. Dick still wanted to spend time with him. The thought alone gave him a moment of clarity, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

  
“Yeah, I’d like that.” He smiled softly, putting down the papers in his hand and standing up. He was going to have to take the bus, but he’d be there by six, at least. He told Dick that he’d be there and said goodbye. After hanging up, he packed some clothes and a toothbrush, grabbing his wallet and walking out the door. Wally’s mother almost didn’t let him go, but he begged her. He hadn’t been anywhere good in months, and after pleading with her for a good ten minutes, she let him go. Wally realized that he was actually quite excited to see his friend, distracting himself with his phone on the bus ride there.  
Gotham was dark and gloomy… Which honestly wasn’t a new or surprising fact, but it was oddly calming. He got off the bus, walking to Wayne manor and missing his powers. He would have been there so much faster if he still had them, but what could he do but deal with it? When he finally got there, he was relieved, knocking on the door and smiling wide at Alfred when he opened it. Wally talked to the butler for a good five minutes before excusing himself and hurrying up to his best friend’s room. Dick opened the door before Wally got there, and pulled the redhead into a tight embrace.

  
“It’s nice to see you active again, man.” Dick chuckled, patting his friend on the back and pulling away.

  
“Yeah. Thanks for inviting me over, Dick. I think I really needed this.” Wally smiled brightly as they walked into Dick’s room. He put his bag down, flopping on Dick’s bed and laughed softly.

  
“So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” He sat up, looking over at his friend. Dick held up a finger, turning to his desk and picking up a stack of DVD’s.

  
“Horror movie marathon?” He offered, and Wally grinned, nodding. They went downstairs and grabbed armfuls of snacks, inviting Tim to join them while they were at it. The three of them scampered up the stairs and began their marathon. Wally had the best time he’d had in what seemed like forever. After the third movie, they’d all fell asleep, the tv screen dim and humming softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapters are so short, I'm sorry ;A;  
> Criticism is welcome and appreciated, as I want everyone to be able to enjoy this story!


	3. Starting Fresh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wally still isn't sure how to cope, and no one can convince him that trying over isn't what he thinks it is.

 It was easy to get back into the swing of things after the injuries healed up. Wally tried to be motivated enough in applying for college courses and attending classes. It was nice finding friends who had similar interests and no powers, but he still longed for what he no longer possessed. He continued to hang around Dick, hoping that his best friend wouldn’t care about his loss of powers, regardless of his lack of use. He had a hard time believing that anyone on the old team would care about him for much longer, with how things were going. Artemis wouldn’t even talk to him anymore, and their relationship prior to his disappearance had been… Perfect. Now he was back living with his parents, without a purpose or any exciting double-life.

Wally tried his very best to be normal. He tried to be satisfied with his newfound normalcy and his friends, but it seemed that nothing he did could satisfy his need to help people and to run as fast as he could. Wally tried jogging in the mornings to help lessen the cravings, but it just didn’t do it for him. That was when Wally decided that the life he was living wasn’t good enough for him. It wasn’t good enough to do all that he could on the sidelines. He couldn’t live his whole life on the benches while his friends got all the action. Wally needed to be included, and he needed to be as fast as he used to be. It motivated him as he began to search for his research notes again. It drove him to try to reclaim his powers by any means necessary. He would claw his way out into the light if it killed him, because he couldn’t live like everything was all hunky dory anymore.

 “Wally? Hey… Where are you going?”  Wally knew he shouldn’t have been in the Science building so late, especially when he knew Elizabeth could have been there. She was a nice girl, brilliant even, but Wally didn’t doubt that she could rat him out in a heartbeat. He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment while thinking of excuses he could make before turning to her and smiling.

“Hey, Liz! Yeah, I totally forgot my notes in 107, so I was just going to pick them up real quick.” Wally watched skepticism fall across her features, and he felt a little worried. He didn’t let his smile fall, though, nudging the shorter woman with his elbow. She gave a short snort and nodded at him.

“Yeah, I believe you. Sorry, go ahead. Have a good weekend, West.” She patted his arm, picking up her bag before she walked away. Wally turned back to the hallway, running a hand back through his hair before walking to the room. The door was unlocked, so he didn’t have to try to break in… That would have probably drawn a whole lot of unwanted attention. He put his bag down on a table, going into the back room to grab some chemicals and containers that he’d need. Wally made sure everything looked perfect before he put everything into his bag and headed home. He started laying everything down in the garage, inhaling deeply. He grabbed some metal hangers from his room and worked on twisting them together. He’d have to check the weather for any upcoming storms and hope it would work like it had before.         

It took almost two months before a storm came to Keystone, and Wally had never been so excited by the prospect of being struck by lightning in his whole life. He made sure everything was perfect before sitting in the garage and just waiting. Wally could feel his heart beating right out of his chest as he sat in his chair. He remembered what it had been like the first time. He’d been so doubtful of the process, so worried about the complications… But he wasn’t afraid anymore. All Wally could do right then was hope for lighting, a good outcome, and for his old life back. He waited a good hour before his hopes began to dampen. He was about to stand up when the bolt struck the hangars and the beakers of chemicals on the shelves burst. He felt a rush of pure, unexpected pain, and blacked out.

When Wally finally came to, he realized that he was in the hospital and that he felt like he was on fire. A low cry ripped from his throat, and someone entered the room within the minute, referring to him as “Mr. West” and saying a great deal more that Wally couldn’t mentally keep up with through the pain. After what seemed like forever, Wally began to feel numb and sleepy. Everything seemed dull and blurry, but he couldn’t feel the burn of his skin anymore. A lot of things happened that he couldn’t quite remember. People talked to him, but he couldn’t tell who they were, how many of them had come to visit, or how long they were in his room for. Wally was moved now and again, sometimes people put spoons and straws to his lips to get him to eat. Wally couldn’t think to measure how long it all went on for, but he didn’t care.

They eventually stopped drugging Wally so heavily, and he realized that his skin didn’t burn the way it had before. It was down to a dull itch, and Wally was thankful to God for it.  He learned that he had been electrocuted, and according to the nurse, it was a good thing he hadn’t actually caught on fire or suffered to much damage. She said he was lucky to be alive, and that sent a shiver down Wally’s spine.

“How long was… How long was I out?” Wally asked the nurse, who was busying herself with checking his vitals. She looked back at him and her brows knitted together in concern.

“Well, Mr. West… You’ve been in the hospital for almost a month now… Though I think you’ll be going home very soon. You’ve recovered enough that in a week, you won’t need to be monitored and-“ Wally couldn’t pay attention to the woman past that point. A month. He’d been there a whole _month_ , all because he’d… Had he messed up part of the procedure? Was it because he’d tried to stand up? What had he done wrong? What possible mistake had he made to have it result in such phenomenal disaster? He stared at the ceiling, tears burning in his eyes as he tried to rationalize his situation. He went over the process in his mind, searching for some step he’d missed, a beaker he’d misplaced… Anything that would prove that he had hope, that he could try again.

It took a few hours for Wally to realize that everything was out of his control and accept that there was nothing he had missed. His eyes were misty with tears and he let out a shaky breath. It was all over.

  
“Wally?” He was surprised by the sudden voice, eyes opening and looking towards the door to see Dick standing there with a bag of candy and a frown on his lips.

  
“Oh h-hey Dick, I just uh…” Wally’s voice shook as he wiped his eyes with the heel of his palm.

“Wally… I’m sorry about what happened… I heard from Barry when it happened and… I mean I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so I could talk to you.” Dick sighed, pulling a chair from the wall so he could sit at Wally’s bedside, placing a gentle hand on the redhead’s shoulder. Wally wondered if Dick had been visiting him the whole time, and tears welled in his eyes again, a smile pulling at his lips. Dick looked worried when he started crying, but he managed to explain that he was happy that Dick was there, and the dark haired boy relaxed noticeably, putting the bag of candy down on his bedside.

“I figured you could use some cheering up and a change from the food here.” Dick laughed, and  Wally sat up, taking the bag and looking at it, stomach grumbling as he noticed they were the Gummi Sours he liked.

“You’re a really good friend, Dick. I’m glad… I’m just really happy you’re here.” Wally said softly, offering a little smile to his friend as he opened the bag and proceeded to eat a few candies, sharing some with Dick.

“So, do you have a plan?” Dick asked, popping a candy into his mouth.

“A plan for what?” Wally raised an eyebrow.

“For getting your speed back? Cause I’m here, and I’m going to help you.” Wally paused, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Dick laughed, stealing another candy

“What? I’m serious. You’re not happy without your powers, so we’ll just get them back. The whole “recreation” thing failed, so we’re going to have to try something else.”

“… I’m really glad you’re here, Dick.”

“What are friends for, Walls?"  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, it feels good to churn out another chapter! Tell me what you think, and what I should consider in further chapters!


End file.
